Natsuyu turned his gaze toward the girl's corpse hanging from the Gorgeous Door by Flower Vines:
"I plan to examine the corpse first."
Yukinoshita Yukino was shocked. "You know how to perform an autopsy?"
"I learned a bit of the basics from Mr. Lawyer; at the very least, I need to determine the cause of death for this suspicious body. Otherwise, I'll just feel uneasy."
As Natsuyu spoke, he cautiously approached the corpse, his eyes fixed intently on the Flower Vines.
When Natsuyu was uniting the four girls earlier, he had deliberately stayed away from the Gorgeous Door. Now that he was approaching it, he felt a slight sense of trepidation.
In the next second, Natsuyu felt the faint, fresh scent of shower gel coming from behind him, along with the tugging sensation of his clothes being grabbed. He prudently did not turn around and asked in confusion:
"Yukinoshita?"
From behind him came Yukinoshita Yukino's calm, deliberate voice. "If we encounter danger, I'll pull you away immediately. Go on."
Natsuyu felt his unease mysteriously recede. He chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll leave my back to you."
"Mm."
The two walked carefully to the front of the corpse.
The Flower Vines showed no movement, as if they weren't the culprits that had taken the Gothic Girl's life.
But if it wasn't the Flower Vines, why did the Gothic Girl die and end up hanging here?
Countless mysteries surfaced in his mind. Natsuyu couldn't even find any wounds on the Gothic Girl; her clothes were clean, tidy, and without a single tear. His confusion deepened instantly.
Looking at the long, black, slanted bangs covering the girl's face, Natsuyu muttered a silent apology and reached out his hand, intending to proceed with the examination.
Lifting the bangs, he saw the girl's face was exquisite, her skin fair and supple, and her eyelashes long and curled; she didn't look like a corpse in the slightest.
Furthermore, although the Flower Vines were wound around her snowy, slender neck, they didn't leave the deep strangulation marks typical of a hanging corpse. Instead, they only pressed slightly into her flesh, which wasn't horrifying but actually held a bit of tension...
Wait, what am I thinking?
Natsuyu quickly cut off his drifting thoughts. He stared intently at this face and the Black and Red Pleated Skirt, feeling a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen them somewhere before, but he couldn't recall where for a moment.
Could she also be a character from some work?
Natsuyu first reached out to check for breath. There was none; he confirmed the girl was dead.
After all, her appearance was simply too much like someone in a deep sleep, making Natsuyu doubt if she was really dead.
What exactly was the cause of this girl's death?
Filled with doubt, Natsuyu touched the girl's cheek and tilted her face up to observe further.
But just as he made that movement, Natsuyu's body froze completely.
The girl's face was snowy and moist, the touch as delicate as her exquisite appearance, like a texture between cotton and jelly, as if water could be squeezed out with a single pinch.
The touch was warm.
Warm!
"Ara ara, does my face feel comfortable to the touch, human boy?"
The corpse opened its eyes.
On one side, a deep crimson like fine wine or blood;
On the other, a brilliant gold, where gears and clockwork comprised the whole.
She squinted her eyes and locked onto Natsuyu's gaze.
Natsuyu's breath hitched.
"Get back!"
Almost instantly, Natsuyu felt a pulling force. Yukinoshita Yukino cried out, reacting extremely fast as she grabbed Natsuyu and pulled him away to create distance.
Natsuyu maintained the posture of reaching out to cup the girl's face, calmly watching the resurrected corpse.
No, that wasn't a corpse at all.
It was Tokisaki Kurumi!
Tokisaki Kurumi curled her matte-pink, tender lips into a grin, a black-bellied expression appearing beneath her mischievous smile. Her non-human eyes were filled with pleasure as she looked mockingly at the two startled people:
"I am the Time-Devouring Spirit. Human boy, you have offended my slumber. You must pay the price with your entire lifespan and be eaten by me. Hehe, ohoho, ohohoho!"
Tokisaki Kurumi let out a Queen's Three-Stage Laugh. The evil and rampant laughter caused Yukinoshita Yukino to instantly tense up. With a face full of nervousness, she pulled Natsuyu even further back.
Natsuyu said very calmly, "There's no need to fear her, Yukinoshita."
Although Tokisaki Kurumi wasn't a kind-hearted girl in every sense like Yukino or Ema, she was by no means an evil person.
Her hands were stained with blood, but those she killed were all scumbags.
In Natsuyu's eyes, this was an entirely correct course of action.
If he could return to the original Crossover World, he would absolutely kill the villains who caused Mr. Lawyer's death.
This was also one of the reasons Natsuyu insisted so strongly on finding the way home.
Yukinoshita Yukino stared warily at Tokisaki Kurumi's non-human golden clock left eye and gritted her teeth. "She can return from the dead; we are no match for her."
Natsuyu explained, "She wasn't dead just now at all."
Though they indeed weren't a match for her.
"Not dead..."
Yukinoshita Yukino breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing that Yukinoshita Yukino had calmed down, Natsuyu looked back at the Flower Vines-bound Tokisaki Kurumi and asked:
"Kurumi, why are you here too?"
Tokisaki Kurumi's queenly laugh paused as she studied Natsuyu with great interest:
"Ara?"
"You actually know me? That shouldn't be. Even if you came from the same world as me, you shouldn't be able to recognize me."
"Boy who disturbed my slumber, who are you?"
Natsuyu pointed his hands at himself and Yukino respectively:
"Allow me to introduce ourselves. Rurikawa Natsuyu and Yukinoshita Yukino. We were brought here by something unknown and are looking for a way back."
"Tokisaki Kurumi, are you the same?"
"Or... were you brought here even earlier than us?"
Tokisaki Kurumi's expression turned calm. Her body, bound by Flower Vines, was unable to move, but she gave a polite nod. Her voice was light and soft, sounding exceptionally tender, like a little girlfriend acting spoiled toward her boyfriend:
"Quite sharp, Natsuyu-kun."
"It is incorrect to pry into a maiden's privacy at will. Although I don't mind Natsuyu-kun seeing my secrets, could you please tell me exactly to what extent you understand me?"
If Kushida Kikyo were here, she would definitely be cursing Tokisaki Kurumi internally for being a man-seducing closet pervert.
Yukinoshita Yukino only felt that Tokisaki Kurumi was filled with danger and mystery. She likewise looked curiously at Natsuyu, wanting to know from where he knew this woman.
"Sorry, that's a secret."
Natsuyu chose to refuse.
"Is that so?"
Tokisaki Kurumi did not press further. Her red and gold heterochromatic eyes gazed at Natsuyu with deep meaning as she said softly:
"A friendly reminder: you had best prepare your final words before it gets dark."
Yukinoshita Yukino's expression turned solemn as she immediately followed up:
"What does that mean?"
Tokisaki Kurumi smilingly refused, "Sorry, that's a secret."
Yukinoshita Yukino clenched her fists.
Natsuyu raised his hand to signal Yukinoshita Yukino to remain calm, then met Tokisaki Kurumi's gaze.
Tokisaki Kurumi curled her lips. "What, does Natsuyu-kun want to tell me his secret now?"
"Kurumi, let's cooperate."
Tokisaki Kurumi opened her thin lips in surprise. "Oh? Are you joking?"
Natsuyu spread his hands—a gesture signaling safety—and met Tokisaki Kurumi's gaze, revealing the kind of smile that frequently made female classmates at school blush.
In a negotiation, it was time for the Charm attribute to be displayed in its full glory.
★ ★ ★
T/N: I've no clue who this lawyer is lol